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By now, you’ve read all about the basketball game that broke out during a brawl at the Palace in Detroit. It’s the number one topic at every water cooler this morning and the leading story on the evening news, not just the sports segment. If peace in the middle east was achieved over the weekend, no one would know about it as we’re all too busy offering opinions on what happened Friday night.

But, as the saying goes, there’s three sides to every story: yours, mine, and what’s caught on videotape. So, let’s go to the tape.

The Ron Artest show just keeps on going and going and going.  

Right now it seems like he’s hit a new low.  Artest is no stranger to suspensions, brushes with the law, NBA officials, coaches, framed pictures and television monitors. Just a couple of weeks ago, Indiana Pacer Head Coach Rick Carlisle suspended the mercurial forward for conduct detrimental to the integrity of the team, but did not specify exactly what this conduct was.  When the press first reached Artest, he initially declared that he did not understand the meaning of the word integrity, something that should surprise no one who has followed the career of the reigning defensive player of the year.  After he was (mildly) pressed, he admitted that he had asked Carlisle for some time off, as he was too tired from producing a Hip-Hop album to properly compete in the NBA.

Well, in one of the most bizarre and awful ways, Artest will now get his wish.

Dear Commissioner Stern.
I invoke the spirits of Washington and Tomjonavich and beg you to do the right thing.  The fiasco that happened in Detroit is easily the worst thing that has happened to the NBA in over 20 years. I personally do not entirely blame the players nor do I entirely blame the fans.  But on some level the players must be held responsible for their actions.

This is the first ever edition of "The Post-Up Play" by Kevin Cantor. This is a new column where I’ll "dish-out" the issues concerning the NBA for the past week, highlight the player of the week, and much more. So stay tuned and read the column every Wednesday.

NBA Power Rankings are finally here for the 2004-2005 Season.  Any and all feedback, complaints, suggestions are welcomed.  If I get good responses, I’ll continue to do the rankings weekly.  Enjoy!